Hi,
I am unfortunately new here. I am 32 and have just been diagnosed with womb cancer. My hysterectomy is the end of November and I am now finding that I am beginning to feel deflated and very fed up and trying to continue with normal day to day life. I’m just wondering has anyone else got any pointers etc, I was diagnosed a week before starting my new role via promotion, so I am currently training.
Also, just wondering if anyone can give me any insight on what to prepare for/expect. I have tried to do as much research as possible but thought speaking to those from experience might be more insightful.
There has been discussion as to whether or not to remove my ovaries due to my age and menopause, has anyone got any opinions on this? I’m leaning toward removing them as I’m just scared of tempting fate and anything coming back to that area.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Busybee
Welcome to the Womb group.
I am sorry to hear of your diagnosis of womb cancer. It can knock you sideways when you are first diagnosed and waiting to hear what happens next. I understand why you feel fed up and it is hard to focus on normal everyday life for a while. I felt a bit better once I had a plan for the next steps.
After diagnosis its normal to have a scan- some have CT, some have MRI and the purpose of this is to stage the cancer and see exactly where it is in the body. The biopsy results from your diagnosis will help show the grade of the cancer. Most ladies are offered a hysterectomy and I would expect you to do well with recovering as you are a bit younger than most ladies on here. My hysterectomy was laparoscopic and I had little pain, in hospital for one night and then recovered well at home. My recovery was resting up and not overdoing things. Not lifting anything heavy. But I was able to go for short walks once home from hospital. I could walk to the local shops for instance as long as I didn't carry heavy shopping bags home.
After surgery anything removed is sent to pathology and then the stage and grade and a few other bits are confirmed. It is these results that are normally used in deciding whether any further treatment is advised. Some ladies with a very low stage and low grade cancer just have surgery. I had chemo and radiotherapy.
My surgery included removing ovaries and although this is a difficult decision at your age I would tend to agree with you in getting them removed. It would mean possible menopause symptoms, earlier than expected, but there may well be options for managing these. Perhaps give the Support Line a call and talk it through. You don't mention whether you have any children but the nurses could also talk you through the fertility aspect.
The fear of having any recurrence happens to us all but I suppose its about doing everything possible to lessen the chance. Perhaps talk through with your doctor about the risks of keeping your ovaries vs the risk of them being removed.
With work, I can understand it is not the best timing with your promotion and training. However if your surgery and recovery is straightforward then it may well be that you can return sooner than expected. Macmillan can give advice on how to talk to work and also how work can support you. I know I found it hard to take time off work and focus on my health- but sometimes it is necessary.
My surgery was done quickly- 4 weeks after my first symptom- some ladies wait a bit longer. It just depends on your hospital and how busy they are. For me I saw the consultant for the first time on a Friday and had the surgery on the following Monday.
I will pop a link here to the Endometrial cancer booklet that has some good information.
Womb cancer booklet | Macmillan Cancer Support
Hope this helps a bit. If there is anything you want to ask about, please do so.
Jane
